Pattinson and Patel headline Nottinghamshire's cruise

Nottinghamshire boosted their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Royal London Cup with a six-wicket victory over Leicestershire at Welbeck.

James Pattinson took 4 for 42 as Leicestershire were bundled out for 217 in only 43.5 overs, after being asked to bat first.

Mark Cosgrove, with 80, played the only innings of any substance for the visitors but when he fell the visitors lost their way and slipped from 179 for 4 to 194 for 9.

Samit Patel gave the run chase a timely boost by speeding to 79 from 60 balls and it was left to a fourth wicket stand of 80 between Brendan Taylor and Steven Mullaney, who both made half centuries, to take Notts to the finishing line.

In cold, blustery conditions Cosgrove arrived at the crease in the seventh over of the morning after Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney had reduced the visitors to 18 for 2.

Cameron Delport was denied a couple of early boundaries when two straight drives both crashed into the stumps at the non-striker's end. His luck appeared to be changing when he top-edged a delivery from Gurney high over third man for the only six of the innings.

He'd only made 8 when he nicked behind, one of three catches for Chris Read. Mark Pettini made 39, sharing in a third wicket stand of 65 with Cosgrove, before becoming Pattinson's first wicket.

The Australian then spent most of the next hour trying to keep warm on the boundary edge before returning to blow the middle and lower order apart with three wickets in four balls.

Both Lewis Hill, who made a breezy 30, and Rob Sayer, who fell first ball, were sent on their way after bellowed lbw appeals. Tom Wells was then yorked for just 3.

Pattinson also thudded a thunderbolt onto the boot of Zak Chappell, who was still hobbling when he tamely fell to Gurney at the other end.

Cosgrove, who is yet to score a one-day hundred in England, seemed about to correct that anomaly but was undone by Gurney and ballooned the ball up to Patel in the covers.

Gurney finished with 3 for 29 and Stuart Broad claimed 2 for 48, which included the final wicket to fall, that of skipper Clint McKay, bowled for 14.

Nottinghamshire's innings got off to the worst possible start as Chappell trapped Michael Lumb lbw first ball. Patel made the most of his early arrival in the middle to race to an impressive 50, which included 10 boundaries in only 30 balls.

Riki Wessels, with scores of 85 not out and 114 in the last two years at Welbeck, only made 20 before nicking Tom Wells behind but the home side overcame his loss with another punishing stand.

Patel and Taylor put on 58 in only 10 overs to take the game completely away from Leicestershire. Patel, who had hit 14 fours in his punishing innings, tossed away the chance of a century by hitting Chappell out to Jamie Sykes, the substitute fielder, on the point boundary.

Mullaney hit both Wells and Aadil Ali for sixes as he raced to his second fifty in consecutive matches, getting there from only 42 deliveries but he fell to his next ball, hoisting Aadil Ali out to deep midwicket.

Taylor's own 50 had come from 72 balls faced and he was unbeaten on 51 as Billy Root stroked the winning run with 70 balls remaining. The win moves Nottinghamshire on to six points and enables them to leap-frog Leicestershire into third place in the North Group.